Wild rides and hot technologies

It’s safe to say that 2012 has been a wild ride for all of us. The macroeconomic
climate, from Europe across the oceans to China, has seen
so much uncertainty and stagnation that corporations and analysts
alike, for fear of missing their numbers, are making the most conservative
forecasts possible. Indeed, many have already ratcheted back their
expectations for 2013.

We had hoped the US election
would lift the veil on at least some of
the uncertainty. Alas, however, the “fiscal
cliff” looms, and as of this writing
there is no resolution in sight. We can
only hope Congress and the administration
opt not to kick the can down the
road, because anything short of a full
agreement only keeps the uncertainty
alive—and cripples our ability as individuals,
small businesses, and corporations
to innovate around the flaws of
any decision that does come down.

Speaking of innovation,
EDN highlights the best of what you,
our engineering community, had to offer
this year, from the Hot 100 products to the hot technologies that you helped propel forward.
In 2013, those developments and products
will form the foundation of what
looks to be a landmark time for electronics
engineering. Massive shifts are
coming next year that will reflect and
build on the turmoil of the year that’s
now almost past.

This year’s Apple v. Samsung drama
is a case in point. Samsung “lost” round
one, but so what? Right now, Samsung
and Apple (read: Android and iOS)
are all that matter in the smartphone/mobile-computing/tablet landscape.
Nokia is fading fast, and for Research
in Motion the writing has been on the
wall for some time. Microsoft’s Surface
is pushing to make headway but won’t
be a major factor anytime soon.

So what’s the upshot? Four implications
come to mind. First, mobile digital
processing options will gel around
whatever Samsung and Apple choose to
back; their picks will become almost de
facto standards. If you’re not designed
into one of their devices or platforms,
you have a tough road ahead. Just ask
Texas Instruments and its OMAP team.

Second, apps continue to rule the
roost and keep absorbing the neuronal
firings of our youngest and brightest.
Who wants to waste time studying EE
basics when an app can make you rich?
With so many apps flooding the market,
the shine may be coming off that brass
ring, but we’re coping with the aftereffects.
Who’s dreaming up the next big
system design win that doesn’t depend
on a Samsung or Apple platform and
so will reignite the demand for parts—from passives to processors—to keep the
industry humming again? Why bother designing a full system when you can
take the base platform on a tablet or
smartphone, with all its processing
power, sensors, interface wizardry, and
connectivity, and just add your idea or
IP in the form of an app?

Third, it’s all about the cloud now,
and not just for IT services. As TI’s Gene
Frantz points out in his take on the cloud
in "Opportunities abound in cloud 'clutter'," opportunities
abound for designers to innovate within
what Frantz calls the “clutter” around
the cloud. Read on if you’re stuck for
ideas on where to focus next.

The first three implications lead to
the fourth: analog. While the layoffs
across the analog industry may indicate
otherwise, analog is hot. If you’re
an engineer with a solid background
in analog design and an understanding
of software and analog design software
tools, prep your resume. Heck, we’re
even in the process of hiring a full-time
analog designer right now here at UBM
Tech. We’re looking for an LED engineer,
too, by the way.

So, while it’s been a crazy year,
you’ve not stopped doing what you do:
identifying opportunities and engineering
the best paths to leverage them.
We’ve had a bit of fun this year, too,
relaunching EDN.com and spotlighting
all the conversations and contributions
you have offered over the year.

In recognition of those contributions,
Linear Technology has kindly partnered
with us to offer $5,000 to the winner of
the 2012 Jim Williams Contributor of
the Year Award, in recognition of the
person who best embodies what contributing
to the community is all about. We
look forward to announcing the winner
early in 2013 as part of our ACE Awards
at DESIGN West.

In the meantime, from myself and
the EDN staffers you’ve come to know
even better in the past few months—Rich Pell, Suzanne Deffree, Amy
Norcross, Steve Taranovich, Stephen
Evanczuk, Carolyn Mathas, Jessica
MacNeil, Janine Love, and Diana
Scheben—have a great holiday and a
peaceful and prosperous New Year.